NEW DELHI: Delhi Jal Board's drive to install meters has put the consumers in a fix. While the board is insisting that the new meters should be installed immediately, people say that there is a shortage of meters in the market and the ones that are available malfunction within three or four months.
The water utility has prescribed the use of new magnetic meters, but officials admit that the ones available in the market do not meet the standards. "Though the meters have ISI certification, they do not meet any the quality standards. These meters are made by local manufacturers. Quality meters are not easily available in India," said a senior DJB official.
When DJB invited tenders for the meters none of the companies manufacturing them could meet the specifications. "Earlier, several deadlines had been set, the last being March 31. We realized that it is not fair on our part to insist on a deadline if meters are not available. It is imperative for consumers to understand that this is not an excuse for not installing meters," said a DJB official.
DJB has a consumer base of 18 lakh, of which only 15 lakh connections have meters. Of these, about 7 lakh need to be replaced as they are either not working or are malfunctioning. "DJB had acquired 1 lakh meters earlier and had them installed. At present, it is in the process of getting another 2.5 lakh meters installed, and tenders have been floated for 2.5 lakh meters more. These new meters, being installed by L&T, come with a five-year guarantee period. The process will take time. We have also asked the consumers to get the meters from the market," said another official.
Consumers are not buying the argument. "DJB is aware of the problem of defective meters, yet it has set a deadline for their installation. We purchase a meter for Rs 700-800 and dole out another Rs 1,000 or so for its installation. Are we expected to keep repeating this process every few months till DJB gets more meters. Even after installation of the new meters we don't know whether we are being overcharged," said Pankaj Agarwal, a resident of Safdarjung Enclave.
DJB has been losing an average of Rs 70 crore every year because of non-metered connections. At present, those who do not have meters are charged on the basis of average consumption, though DJB has adopted a resolution to do away with the practice. Now, the board is in the process of acquiring and installing five lakh new meters. Still about two lakh connections will continue to have local meters. DJB has set several deadlines for installation of meters but they are never met as the government has acknowledged that there is a shortage of meters in the market.
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